A ROWING enthusiast is preparing to complete a four-year, 25,000-mile global odyssey by passing through Oxford next week.

Sarah Outen, who lives in Chilton, near Didcot, set off from Tower Bridge in London in 2011 to kayak and cycle around the world to raise £100,000 for charity.

After arriving back in the UK three weeks ago, she will cycle from Falmouth to Oxford starting today and reach the city next Tuesday.

She was inspired to complete the solo challenge when rowing across the Indian Ocean from Australia to Mauritius in 2009. The 30-year-old said: “I’ve always wanted to find out what oceans are out there, and to find out more about people living around the world.

“The trip was originally going to be for a couple of years but adverse weather means we’ve had to extend it.

“I’ve never really thought in terms of records, but emotionally the time I have invested has been amazing, and I decided this was the right time to finish.”

Miss Outen, who lives with her fiancee Lucy, started the ground-breaking journey by kayaking down the River Thames from London and crossing the English Channel, before travelling through Europe, the Indian Ocean and across America.

It has not always been plain sailing though, as she had to be rescued by Falmouth coastguards from the Atlantic three weeks ago after reports of Hurricane Joaquin crossing the ocean.

She said: “I’d heard that the hurricane might be heading my way, and even though I was two thirds of the way along the ocean unfortunately I had to call for a boat to come and pick me up.”

While in Alaska, Miss Outen also came face-to-face with a bear, and had to fend it off by throwing stones into a river as a warning.

Before leaving for Falmouth she said: “Everyone has been so supportive and I’m excited about being home in a couple of weeks.

“It’s been a fantastic few years and I could not have done it without the help of my family and friends.”

Her final cycle route will take in the Eden Project, Exeter, Bath, Swindon and Oxford.

Miss Outen, who was a biology undergraduate at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, and learned to row at university, will kayak down the Thames to finish her journey in London on November 3.

Money raised will support four charities, including CoppaFeel!, MNDA, WaterAid and the Jubilee Sailing Trust. So far, about £50,000 has been raised – half way to the target.

For more information, go to sarahouten.com